I have seen this particular Starbucks at glance every now and then since it is on the same cross-street as my gym, so today I figured I’d enter for the first time before going to a spinning class (yes, I spin — don’t judge).
One of my reasons for avoiding this location for so long is that fact that it has a sarcophagus of construction poles surrounding it — an unfortunate aspect of New York City that every business or apartment seems to be burdened with from time to time. But today I decided to submerge myself in the jungle-gym like construction of nuts and bolts to see the Starbucks that lie beyond — anticipating a buried treasure of some sort.
And unfortunately I was disappointed to find no treasure. As well as no bathroom. No room to move. And no seating. Well, I take that back, there was seating, it was just very limited. After waiting in line I snagged a bar seat just as its former occupant vacated. One thing I found interesting is that there were two mini-square tables in the middle of the floor with no chairs attached to them at all — which begs the question: what’s a table without a chair?
My overall assessment is that this is a Starbucks of necessity only. Come to get your coffee then get on your way. I’m noticing this to be a trend with some of the Midtown locations.
The Good:
The Location… Just north of Times Square and directly across from the Ed Sullivan Theater — current home to the Late Show with David Letterman.
The Bad:
The Amenities… Just a small bar for seating and three scattered tables with two chairs…
The Line… It literally cuts the Starbucks in half and makes it difficult to get to any seating or the milk station.
The Restroom… another Starbucks with no restroom in sight.
Barista Friendliness:
They were really friendly and worked well as a team.
Drink of Choice:
Cappuccino… I’d never had a cappuccino from Starbucks before, and I have to say I was really surprised at how good it was. From what I can gather, it separates itself from the latte by the amount of foam placed on top.
Overall Starbucks Rating:
No restroom, not enough seating — and surrounded by construction.
Starbucks and the City 
I don’t really understand how a coffee shop functions without a bathroom…it seems so ironic! Good to know for whenever I visit NY again – hopefully soon (: Thanks for sharing!
It’s very ironic — with caffeine being a diuretic and all. Somebody once told me that food service joints of a certain size were required to offer a restroom, so maybe this location squeaked by due to its size.
Hmm good to know, thanks!
I agree. That’s crazy!
Try the vanilla cappuccino – one of my go-to drinks at Starbucks.